Improvement in current water-wheels



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lENOCH STEWART,IOF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CURRENT WATER-WHEELS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,115, dated August 5,1862. v

To @ZZ whom it may' concern:

Be it known that I, ENOOH STEWART, of Battle Creek, in the county ofvCalhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a new and ImprovedWater-Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and eX- force of a stream and arecommonly termed current-wheels.7

The object of the invention is to obtain a simple and durable wheel ofthe class specified, and one which will operate without having itsbuckets subjected to much wear and tear, as is the case with all ofthese wheels in which the current or force of the stream is made toadjust oroperate the buckets.

My invention consists in placing a wheel upon a horizontal shaft andproviding it with buckets, which are attached by joints or hinges insuch a manner that the buckets will by their own gravity adjustthemselves in proper working position previous to entering the water,and then by the same means fall so as to assume a closed position asthey leave the water.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a horizontal shaft on which a wheel, B, is placed. Thiswheel may be constru cted of two rims, a a, connected to the shaft A byradial arms b, the latter being connected by cross-bars c. The rims a a,arms b,and crossbars c may be of wood. The shaft A may be of wood ormetal. The rims a a are made of a depth equal to the depth of thebuckets d, which are oi'square form and are attached radially to theouter and inner sides of the rims da by hinges or joints e, which admitof the buckets swinging freely on the rims. These hinges or joints maybe formed by attaching metal straps or loopsf to the rims a a and havingthe former itted in recesses g at the inner parts of the buckets, asshown in both figures.

In the rims a c there are tted pins 71 the latter passing entirelythrough the former and projecting from the rims at both sides. Thesepins are tted centrally in the rims and at such points as to prevent thebuckets d from swing ing outward from the rims beyond a rightangularposit-ion therewith, as will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 1,in -which three buckets are shown in contact with their pins. I

Any proper number of buckets d may be employed, according to thediameter ofthe wheel, and they may be of wood or metal.

The operation is as follows: The wheel is so adj usted that the rims a cwill be submerged in the stream, the shaft A being supported by anysuitable framing, and the pins h being at the back sides of the buckets,so as to form stops for the same to prevent the water or current forcingthem beyond a right-angular' position with the rims a a. The directionofthe current is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, and the surface ofthe stream isindicated by the red line in the same figure.' The currentin thus actingupon the buckets rotates the wheel, and as each bucketleaves the water it closes by virtue of its own gravity, and remainsclosed until it passes over the shaft A and commences to descend.when,from the same cause,it opens and is ready to receive the action ofthe current as it enters the water.

By this arrangement it is believed that a very great advantage isobtained over the eurrent-wheels hitherto devised, for the buckets, notbeing dependent on the action ofthe current to open them, are notsubjected to thev wear and tear to which they would otherwise be. Thecurrent in opening the buckets causes a violent slamming of the same,and they are liable to be wrenched from their hinges or broken by theconcussions.

My invention may be constructed at a small cost, and readily repairedwhen repairs are necessary.

I do not claim, broadly, a current or water wheel provided with bucketsconnected to it by hinges orjoints; but

' I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-` Acurrent-wheel, B, placed on a horizontal shaft, A, and provided withbuckets d, at-

tached to its rims a a in a radial position by means of hinges or jointse, and used in connection with the pins or stops h, all arranged tooperate substantially as set forth.

ENOGH STEWART. Witnesses:

ALFRED A. WHITE, JosErH BABcocK.

